Blockchain for an Alternative GPS

Abstract

Global Positioning System is very critical for many applications. If it is out of service, there may be chaotic situations for the applications. For this reason, there should be other types of sources for location information. In this work, a blockchain is proposed for location information. Blockchain provides a resilient system, and it can also provide reliable location information. Reliability of location information is also supported by short-range communication. Short-range communication eliminates location information errors outside the communication range. Therefore, it helps to minimize location information errors. In the blockchain, there are special devices to provide location information. The proposed blockchain is a market for location trade with its own cryptocurrency, which is used mostly to incentivize the devices to share location information among themselves. Moreover, the proposed blockchain respect location privacy using encryption mechanism. Keywords—blockchain, location information, GPS, internet of things, cryptocurrency, short-range communication, location privacy